Carbon removal activities will have to meet four overarching criteria in order to be certified:

• they must bring about a quantifiednet carbon removal benefit or net soil emission reduction benefit
• they must be additional, meaning that they go beyond statutory requirements at the level of an individual operator and they need the incentive effect of the certification to become financially viable
• they must aim to ensure long-term storage of carbon while minimising the risk of carbon release
• they should do no significant harm to the environment and should be able to result in co-benefits to one or more sustainability goals